There are lots of ways data can help increase KPIs for dispatch teams. Here are which steps to take and how they can make a difference

No matter what industry you’re in, it goes without saying that your company should always be looking to improve. You probably have a number of key performance indicators (KPIs), that you’re constantly trying to hit. Then, every time you do, you make these goals a little bit loftier, so you’re regularly improving. Of course, when you’re in the home-service industry, this is almost always a lot easier said than done. With so many priorities to juggle, even something as important as KPIs can easily fall by the wayside.

4 Ways Data Will Help Your Dispatch Teams Hit More KPIs

Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be that way. Even the busiest of dispatch teams don’t have to sacrifice ambitious goals just to stay focused on their day-to-day obligations. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. In fact, the solution to both is simply utilizing data. Here’s how this powerful resource can help your company’s dispatch team work toward increased KPIs on a daily basis.

1. Grow Sales

Without a doubt, one of the most important KPIs your company has to go after is sales. Grow your sales and, unless costs grow with them, you’ll see greater profits, too. In the home service industry, the fastest way to achieve more sales is to book more appointments. This is only possible with the right data, though. In fact, without the right data, trying to book more appointments could quickly cost your company instead of adding to its bottom line. When dispatch teams can accurately determine where your employees are at any given time, it is much easier for them to book more sales. Instead of putting off an appointment until further out into the future – a decision that might convince a customer to go elsewhere – the dispatch team will know when someone is in the area who can stop by immediately.

2. Decrease Costs

Overhead is a major concern for most small business owners. 23% of SMB owners reported that budget constraints were their biggest concern this past year. As we touched on above, more sales is great, but if overhead grows with those impressive figures, that’s not quite as exciting. So, how can your dispatch team effectively use data to keep those costs at bay? The first way is by knowing exactly where each member of the team is at all times, which will allow them to book service people who are closest to the client for newly-scheduled jobs. Whenever possible, you want the fastest route possible, not just because it helps ensure they’ll be on time but also because it will cut down on gas. You might not notice the savings on a daily – or even weekly – basis, but they’ll add up over time. The second is by knowing which employees are best suited for which jobs. Everyone knows that it’s important to assess “job fit” when hiring employees, but what about afterward? Are you actively determining which members of your team are best suited for each service your company provides? Doing so can go a long way toward cutting costs. By referencing data to pick the worker who is best able to handle the particular job efficiently, you’ll be able to assign them to another job much sooner. More importantly, their expertise will make the customer happier, which leads to our next important KPI.

3. Increase Customer Retention

Customer satisfaction has become more important than ever, especially for small businesses that often heavily rely on referral business. Consider these customer satisfaction statistics for a better understanding of just how big a role they play and why it’s important to know how to achieve customer satisfaction:

87% of customers share good experiences they had with companies

33% share these good experiences with at least five people

95% of customers tell others about bad experiences they had with companies

54% share these bad experiences with at least five people

38% of customers will share positive experiences on social media

45% will share negative experiences

88% of customers have made buying decisions that were influenced by online reviews

You could also make the case that better scheduling practices will lead to better employee retention, as well. Scheduling changes are common but can also be a hectic occurrence for workers. Providing as much transparency as possible, so they’re able to better anticipate these changes could go a long way toward employee satisfaction.

4. Improve Revenues

If you do all of the above well, the natural result will be increased revenues, arguably the most important KPI there is. After all, if your efforts aren’t improving your annual revenues, are they really worth it? Dispatch teams can use data for other revenue-specific improvements, too. For example, this macro-level view will help them learn more about your customers, which can help them identify better pricing, forecasting, and trends. In short, they’ll have a better sense of what services your customers want, when they tend to want them, and what they’re willing to pay for them. In turn, this kind of data can help you improve your sales, customer retention, and overall savings.

Final Thoughts: Leverage the Power of Dispatch Software to Reach Greater KPIs

Finally, tracking progress toward KPI will be much easier if you have the right tools. Dispatch software is a perfect example. Specifically, you want a platform that supports a user-friendly dashboard that gives your team complete visibility, so they can anticipate delays and find available openings for new bookings. For one thing, this will help your business stay on top of your workers’ schedules at all times. This means no more surprises and no more missed opportunities. It also means you’ll have easy access to this information when you’re looking for places to improve. Better still, choose a platform that also helps with scheduling, reporting, inventory, and other essential tasks. By having these all synched together, you’ll have more than enough data to continuously reach important KPIs over and over. If data is the fuel you need for your dispatch team to achieve greater results, then software is the engine that will put it to work.

(Image Credit - Shutterstock Licensed Photo)

Brad Lowrey

Brad is an assistant editor at ChamberofCommerce.com. He is an expert copywriter with over 10 years experience writing about business subject like productivity, HR, marketing and leadership.